


Freedom is Relative

by sinssansguilt



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Abuse, Alternate Universe - Swapfell, Asgore is a terrible person, BDSM, Blindfolds, Bondage, Collars, Degradation, Depression, Dirty Talk, Discussions About Safewords, Disordered Eating, Dubious Consent, Ecto-Genitalia (Undertale), Ecto-Penis (Undertale), Ecto-Tongue (Undertale), Ecto-Vagina (Undertale), Eventual Smut, Exhibitionism, F/M, Fingering, Fontcest, Gags, Humiliation, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Imprisonment, Leashes, M/M, Masturbation, Minor Character Death, Multi, Oral Sex, Physical Abuse, Polyamory, Punishments, Reader Is Not Frisk, Reader has a vagina, Referenced Noncon Daddy/Little Dynamics, Slow Burn, Spanking, Suicidal Thoughts, Suspension Bondage, Swapfell Papyrus - Freeform, Swapfell Sans, Threesome, Threesome - F/M/M, Toriel is a terrible person, Voyeurism, curse words, discussions about consent, dubcon, funishments, handjob, less of a slow burn and more of a medium burn i guess, mild choking, puns, reader is an adult, reader is female, referenced pedophilia, wow these tags make this story sound so much fun to read huh
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-03
Updated: 2017-08-13
Packaged: 2018-10-27 06:40:06
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 6
Words: 12,479
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10803834
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sinssansguilt/pseuds/sinssansguilt
Summary: You've fallen into the Underground and there doesn't seem to be much hope for you as you find yourself unable to leave your host, despite the warnings. Escaping one captor only puts you in the grasp of another. And another.Things will get worse before they get better.----------Shout-out to idontevenknowugh for betaing my fic and askellie as well as IRL friends Stacy and Dory for helping with encouragement and feedback!! Tags will be added as I go, but I won't necessarily be adding the ones relevant to a current update each time; sometimes, the tag will be for a future update instead.





	1. There's Nowhere to Run

**Author's Note:**

> I wanted to make sure I tagged for dubcon and noncon, altho this fic isn't really focusing on those.
> 
> For anyone who's worried, it's very clearly in the text that rape occurs, but it doesn't go into much detail, if any. I plan on adding appendix chapters later that go into full detail, but these are completely optional and don't need to be read to follow the story.
> 
> The dubcon tag is because the reader's relationship with the skeleton brothers will start while you've been captured by them, which is still sort of dubcon, altho I'm writing it as close to the fully con part as possible.
> 
> This is likely going to be a slow burn, but the plan IS for there to be a consensual relationship between the reader and Swapfell Sans and Papyrus.
> 
> Major credit to idontevenknowugh for betaing my fic and also to askellie for encouraging me early on! Edit: also credit to my friends Stacy and Dory for helping me with the plot~
> 
> Edit:
> 
> Forgot to add that you can check out my Undertale sin tumblr here: [https://sinssansguilt.tumblr.com ](https://sinssansguilt.tumblr.com)
> 
> Also, I spent a significant portion of writing this with [this song ](https://youtu.be/TdBWFBJyOSs) stuck in my head.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edit:
> 
> Forgot to add that you can check out my Undertale sin tumblr here: [https://sinssansguilt.tumblr.com ](https://sinssansguilt.tumblr.com)
> 
> Also, I spent a significant portion of writing this with [this song ](https://youtu.be/TdBWFBJyOSs) stuck in my head.

This is what you get for exploring. The entire fall down is painful and you're certain you're covered with bruises. Where  _ are _ you?

Nothing looks familiar. You seem to be in some sort of vast cave underground. It's almost entirely dark where you've fallen as well. Only a small shaft of light from above helps illuminate your surroundings.

Trying to get your bearings, you stand up, cursing softly as your body ached. You'll have to call for help; there's no way you can climb out of this cave. Reaching for your phone, you discover that it's nearly been shattered by the fall. It won’t be working anytime soon.

Beginning to feel hopeless, you slip the phone into your back pocket and sit down in the shaft of light, trying in vain to think of any way you can escape.

"OMG!! human fell?! dis bAD!!!"

A small shriek escapes you in surprise at the squeaky voice that rings out from behind you. Before you can turn to look, a small... dog? walks around to stand before you. It is a small, white thing with what looks like two sets of ears, a striped shirt, and black hair. Recoiling slightly, you stare in silence at the strange creature, shivering continuously.

"hUman!! u need 2 RUN!!! not sAfe down here!!" The... creature... appears to vibrate agitatedly at you, which only serves to frighten you more.

"Get back! Don't touch me!" you manage to whisper desperately, slowly trying to scoot away from it.

"no i here TO HeLP! tEMMIE safe!!!!!" It stops vibrating and tries to stare at you with as much sincerity as it could muster. You stop moving as it seems to calm somewhat and has stopped trying to close the distance between you two.

"... What are you?" you breathe after several tense moments of silence.

"hOI!!!!!! i'm tEMMiE!!" it shrieks, causing you to flinch in fear. That didn't answer your question at all. It stares expectantly at you.

"Uh. I'm _____."

"hnnn... hUMan, u need 2 GO! unergrund not safe for u!!! in unergrond, it KiLL OR B kILL," it finishes in an eerie tone. "Kill" echoes disturbingly in the cave. Your mind whirls as you try to keep up with the strange creature's manner of speaking, but "kill" is pretty hard to interpret any other way. You feel slightly faint. Are you hyperventilating?

"Can--can you help me get back up?" you ask, pointing to where the shaft of light fell from. Temmie shakes its head solemnly in response. The sound of your breathing fills the cavern.

"How am I going to escape? What am I going to do? What are you? Where am I? There wasn't supposed to be a cave here on the mountain. What the hell happened? Why is this here? Why are you here? Why--"

"wAIT!!!! breathe human! breathe!!" Temmie gingerly comes closer to you, but not quite touching you, before continuing, "ther only 1 other way 2 get back. BUT!!!! it VERY danger, humAN! very danger!!" The weight of Temmie's words feel as though they're crushing you as you put your head in your hands, trying to calm yourself.

"Do I have any other choice?" Your voice cracks noticeably. Temmie politely ignores it.

"no. but tem help! tem tell u about unergrund. full of monsters, VERY DANGER!!!"

"Monsters?"

"munsters. VERY DANGER!!!" it repeats. "but only wAy 2 get out is 2 go thru unergrund, go past QUEEN, go thru barrier!" Temmie pats your leg for emphasis every time it says "go."

"But how am I--" you begin to ask the small monster before a deep, booming sound echoes through the cave and more light pours in from one of the walls. A door opened? You hadn't even been able to tell there was a door there to begin with.

The light is shining too brightly to see through the doorway. Shielding your eyes, you turn back towards Temmie to ask what was happening only to find no Temmie. The abandonment stings and your eyes water. Trying to keep yourself together, you stand up. Some sixth sense causes the hair on the back of your neck to stand on end. You freeze in the beams of light, terror causing you to imagine all sorts of horrible things beyond that door.

A tall figure steps through the doorway, blocking the light from the other side. The figure's silhouette is massive.

You are going to die.

The thought enters your mind suddenly and feels like a physical blow, causing your tremors to start anew. Whatever that is in the doorway is far too big for you to have any kind of chance. All you have on you is your backpack of supplies for exploring--hardly useful right now--and your broken phone in your back pocket. Is anyone even close enough up top to hear you scream? It had been deserted while you were exploring, so you doubt it. Oh god, your parents, your friends. They'll never find your body, not in some obscure cave nobody knows about on a god-forsaken mountain in the middle of fucking nowhere. What were you thinking, exploring this mountain alone?

The figure steps forward, interrupting your thoughts. How long had you both stood there? It doesn't matter. You need to run. Temmie told you to run. Why haven't you?

Oh, right. There's nowhere to run.

"Are you lost, child?" The figure's voice is deep and commands attention. 

\----------

The walls of this kitchen are inexplicably yellow. Not a typical, warm yellow like you'd expect for a kitchen. No, this is the wrong color for this room. The yellow has too much green in it, isn't quite bright enough or saturated enough to be soothing. What kind of yellow would you call this?

Ah, yes. A sickly yellow.

Some people just have bad taste in decorating. It probably doesn't help that, despite the large monster's reassurances, you aren't at ease in his home. Temmie had been very adamant that the monsters down here were dangerous. But what if Temmie was lying? How can you tell?

A cup of tea is placed on table you're seated at, startling you out of your thoughts. The vaguely goat-like creature smiles at you. You weakly smile back, picking up the cup. It’s too hot to drink yet.

"Now then, human. How did you end up in the Underground?" he inquires as he seats himself across from you with his own cup of tea. You feel dwarfed amongst the large furniture. Clearly they were designed for someone his size, not yours. Oddly, the teacups are all a reasonable size for you and look comically tiny in your host's hands.

"I-I fell. Down some sort of hole, I think?" you reply quietly, staring back down at the tea. It’s a golden color, much more pleasant than the color of the kitchen walls. You wonder if yellow is his favorite color. He makes a concerned noise and shakes his head.

"What on earth were you doing, child?"

"Uh, well, actually, I'm not a child." He keeps calling you that. It’s been grating on you. "But I was exploring the mountain. I like... exploring," you finish weakly.

"Ah, is that what this was for?" He holds up your backpack. Once you had arrived at his home, he insisted on taking your backpack for you like one would a coat, but hadn't gotten around to putting it away. When you nod in response, he sets it back down on the floor.

"I see. So, child, what do you think of the tea?" He called you a child again. That’s getting annoying. You haven't tried the tea yet. You've been too tense. Blowing on it, you tentatively take a sip. Warmth envelops you; the flavor is subtle and tastes similar to green tea you've had in the past, but sweeter. You blink slowly, feeling more at ease.

"It's good. Uh. Thank you. Mister...?" you trail off as you realized he never told you his name. Or anything about himself, actually, besides that you could accompany him to his home.

He places his teacup back down, exclaiming, "Ah, how rude of me. I am Asgore, keeper of the ruins of Home."

"Home?"

"Yes. These caverns were initially our city, simply named 'Home' many years ago. We have long since expanded throughout the Underground and you would be unlikely to find anyone else in the ruins."

"Oh. I see." You do not see; you have no idea who he is talking about. "Well. Uh. I want to get back home, actually. My home, I mean, not to your Home, obviously--" Asgore cuts off your rambling with a casual wave of his hands, dismissing your anxious tone.

"I am sad to say that that might not be possible, child. However, you are welcome to stay with me for the time being." The goat monster gestures expansively at the room. "I have more than enough room for a resident as small as yourself and would enjoy your company. I only ask that you assist with chores during your stay. I'm sure that's reasonable to you?" His eyes pin you with an unexpected level of intensity.

"Y-yes, Mr. Asgore. Thank you," you whisper.

"Just 'Asgore' is acceptable," he demurs, continuing, "but I must ask that you do not leave this house. It is far too dangerous in the rest of the Underground for you. Do you understand, child?"

"Yes, Asgore." Not only has Temmie warned you about the dangers of the Underground, but now Asgore has, too. You don't  _ think _ they're lying about it.

"Excellent. Now, onto your first chores of the day," the large monster announces cheerfully as he takes the teacup from your hands. You hadn't even finished your tea, but you're too nervous to protest. This man... monster? This monster is inviting you to stay in his home for nothing more than chores in exchange, after all. You don't want to push your luck and the warnings of how dangerous this place is makes you far more hesitant to rock the boat than usual.

\----------

Temmie manages to show up often to check on you. Somehow. You have no idea how Temmie seems to just  _ be _ in certain places from time to time, but she is there all the same. The small monster only shows up when you are alone and spends most of her time trying to convince you to leave the ruins.

"asgOre not safe, human!!! asgore dANGER!!!!" Temmie shouts at you during one of her visits.

"Asgore has been nothing but kind to me, Temmie," you reply sourly as you dust the bookshelves. Temmie's face twists in a way that makes your eyes hurt to look at her as she tries to communicate her distress to you. As you have adjusted to the two monsters in your life, you have become much less afraid of Temmie. Asgore still intimidates you, but... well, he is a huge monster, of course you find him intimidating.

"hhnnnNn... but hUman want 2 scape unergrund??!" Temmie reminds you, her face somehow twisting further. Suppressing a shudder, you turn away from her, pretending to focus on dusting. The silence stretches out for a few moments.

"What if... what if I can't ever get home?" you whisper. Both of your hands grip the bookshelf tightly as you try to keep yourself grounded.

"!!!!!" You're not sure how you hear that, but you do. Temmie continues, "tem will HeLP U! tem VERY helpful!!" She vibrates reassuringly at you.

Taking a deep breath, you glance back to her and say, "Thank you, Temmie."

\----------

Asgore has a concerning problem of taking things out of your hands before you are done with them. It’s frustrating, but somehow it never feels right to say anything.

\----------

Within the first couple days of your stay at Asgore's house, you have noticed that he never asks you to do chores anywhere in the... basement? You assume it’s a basement of some sort at the bottom of the stairs. You don't really explore the house because it still doesn't quite feel like  _ your _ home. You don't want to be nosy or anger the kind, large monster.

When you finally ask your host what was down there, the very atmosphere of the room seems to change. He doesn't look at you, but you can  _ feel _ the gravity of the situation.

"Child, those stairs lead to far more dangerous places in the Underground than you can imagine. That is why I asked you not to leave this house." Abruptly, he faces you, his eyes severe. It shakes you to your core. "Do you understand, child?"

"Yes, Asgore."

\----------

Why is most of this house yellow? And always somehow a wrong shade of yellow. Asgore mostly wears a black and dark purple combo, however, so you aren't sure why so much of his house is yellow.

On the other hand, the guest room you stay in is deep blue. It always seems like there isn't enough light in that room.

The room leaves you with many questions. There are old stuffed animals on the bed and a box full of shoes in many sizes at the foot of the bed. Your host doesn't wear shoes.

The room somehow seems sparsely decorated, though. There are very few personal items. If it wasn't for the stuffed animals and the shoes, that detail wouldn't feel out of place. Had someone else lived here before? Did they live with Asgore? You never ask.

You haven't seen Asgore's room despite it being next to yours. It feels impolite to enter his room without explicitly being invited. Asgore, however, often enters your room to wake you up in the morning. You have taken to sleeping with the more concealing clothes available. It feels weird to have your skin bare when he came to wake you up in the morning. (What you assume is morning, anyways.)

\----------

You don't see Temmie for a few days because Asgore keeps joining you in your chores "to supervise and assist."

\----------

He is teaching you to cook pie. Despite most of the furniture being an appropriate size for the goat monster, the kitchen itself is a little on the snug side with the two of you in there. 

Utilizing his greater height to reach over you for various utensils, Asgore guides you through the process of whipping the filling together. Having someone as large as him loom over you from behind is an unsettling feeling. But the kitchen is small. Maybe monsters don't feel weird about personal space?

"Why aren't we using any pre-made mixes again? Or electronic tools?" Your arm aches from mixing for so long.

"Making everything from scratch," he replies, placing his huge hands on your shoulders, "creates a far more satisfying flavor."

The difference in size between his hands and your shoulders is another reminder of the disparity in your physical sizes.

"I prefer a more personal touch." Asgore squeezes your shoulders briefly. You miss a beat and quickly compensate. "Don't you agree, child?" You nod wordlessly, focusing on the mixing.

\----------

"I've missed you, Temmie. Where have you been?"

The dog-like creature's ears (all four of them) twitch as she stares at you. She’s sitting on the kitchen countertop while you wash dishes.

"u kno! u kno tem tell u not 2 trust goat man!!" Temmie shouts, stamping one of her little feet in frustration.

"Why don't you want him to see you, anyway?" You place a plate on the dish-rack to dry.

"cuz he is DANGER! temMIe told u! tem want 2 LiVE!!!!!" The monster bounces erratically on the counter, clearly getting more upset by the minute. You set the bowl you were working on back down in the sink and stare at Temmie, shocked.

"Do you mean to say... that you think Asgore would kill you?" Temmie nods vigorously in lieu of a response.

You don't know how to feel about that. You keep washing the dishes.

\----------

Asgore has taken to the habit of picking you up to help you accomplish chores. You rarely ever need it. One time, you try to slip out of his hands before he lifts you off the ground only for him to quickly snatch you up anyways and rumble in a friendly tone: "don't think you're getting away from me that easily." You ask that he put you down. His eyes lock with yours and it almost feels like burning.

You don't ask again.

\----------

You learn not to protest when he picks you up.

Temmie keeps begging you to leave the ruins.

\----------

You never see your backpack again. What did Asgore do with it? You don't feel like anything really belongs to you.

\----------

Asgore's room is red.

\----------

The inside of your body doesn't belong to you anymore.


	2. What's in the Basement?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Temmie reveals how she travels in the Underground.
> 
> The human meets another member of the Underground in a peculiar spot.
> 
> Things get worse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> An additional trigger warning for this chapter: physical abuse in some detail.
> 
> Also, folks, please feel free to let me know if you'd like me to add tags! They'll be updated as I go.
> 
> There were a couple comments on my first chapter wondering what would make the human leave (if the human even would leave) if not sexual abuse. Let's just say... I'm very interested in their reactions to this chapter and the next one. >;3
> 
> Again, shout-out to idontevenknowugh for betaing my fic and askellie as well as IRL friends Stacy and Dory for helping with encouragment and feedback!!
> 
> Also, I'll be trying to update with a chapter either weekly or biweekly. However, this is my first multi-chapter fic, so we'll have to see how it goes!
> 
> Feel free to come yell at me at my Undertale sin blog!! Send me questions, messages, whatever! <https://sinssansguilt.tumblr.com>

Temmie is wise enough not to mention what Asgore--

Temmie is wise enough not to mention what you--

Temmie doesn't pry.

\----------

You wear progressively more clothing as much as possible while staying in Asgore's house. It never does anything to stop him, but... Well.

The internal struggle you have over how often to shower is one you never thought you would have. Just like you've heard others say in the past, you never feel clean afterward and it drives you to want to scrub as much of the experience off of yourself as possible.

But that also requires getting undressed.

In his house.

Sometimes your desire to stay clothed wins out. Sometimes your desire to feel clean wins out. Regardless, it is a fruitless exercise.

\----------

Escape is becoming progressively more appealing. But the more you consider it, the more you are reminded of both Asgore's and Temmie's warnings of the danger of the Underground.

Temmie is trying to help you water the various cacti in the home. (Considering her small paws, she isn't very good at it, but at least she doesn't spill.)

"Temmie..."

"yes, hUman?!" the small monster readily responds.

You stare at the water pouring out of the black watering can into the dark soil of the potted cactus. It’s one of those short, stubby cacti with the large spindly bits. You don't really know much about plants.

"What's in the basement?" you inquire as casually as you can manage. Temmie's four ears perk up with an audible noise. Was that a... squeak?

"bASment lead 2 undrgrund!!!" Temmie nearly spills her watering can as her body almost vibrates off the ground with excitement. You move onto the next cactus.

"So... what is the Underground like? I mean, I know it's 'kill or be killed,' but besides that." You pointedly avoid looking at Temmie. Somehow it feels like doing so will only encourage her to start badgering you to leave the house again and... you can't. You’re just curious.

"hnnn..." Temmie muses thoughtfully, setting her watering can down. "unergrond full of strong munsters... full of dust..." This catches your attention enough to make eye contact briefly.

"Dust?"

"ya!! dust!!!!" She looks tremendously sad as she speaks.

"... what's the problem with dust? Uh. Other than dust allergies, I guess." You gesture anxiously with the watering can, almost spilling water yourself that time. Temmie stares at you for a long time before her ears make that pinging noise again.

"ah! tem 4got! huMans dun leave dust after die, ya?!!"

"No? We leave a corpse, I guess?" When you glance at Temmie with a raised brow, she looks disgusted at the notion.

"monsters turn 2 dust when die... dust everywhere in unergrund..." she explains solemnly. A small shudder goes through you at the thought. You freeze suddenly, holding the watering can between two different plants. You start hyperventilating as your mind whirls.

"Temmie... Does that mean..." You can hear the water sloshing in the watering can. "Does that mean... that the dusting I've been doing... Were those...?" The thought is too horrible to finish out loud. You might throw up.

The dog-like creature shakes her head violently at you.

"no! NO!! normal dust here 2!! normal dust!" she reassures you strenuously. You slowly start to calm down from the shock. It feels as though you walked over your own grave. After several minutes, you turn to ask Temmie more only to discover she has disappeared again.

Asgore must be back.

You have to finish your chores.

\----------

The large, furry host is in bed for the evening. He likes to turn in early for some reason. (If "early" even really made sense as far as time goes down here. There isn't really a strict day or night to go by, after all.)

You stand at the top of the stairs, licking your lips nervously. You aren't leaving. No. It is too dangerous to leave the house. You’re just... curious.

You waited until evening to be sure that Asgore won't find out. He hadn't explicitly tell you not to go down the stairs; he had only said not to leave the house. But you aren't certain that he'd appreciate that distinction. All you want was for this to be something that belongs to you.

Waiting until evening also has the benefit of avoiding Temmie. While you appreciate Temmie's support, you know that Temmie would interpret this as a sign of you deciding to leave and you don't want to give her false hope. Or deal with her pressuring you.

No. This is for you.

Stepping as quietly as you can, you descend the stairs. At the bottom appears to be a simple hallway stretching off some feet before turning. Curiosity piqued, you stride forward.

The walls are carved stone. They are broad and tall. Big enough to fit your host with room to spare.

You briefly run your fingers across the wall. It’s somewhat cold and not quite smooth. The unwanted noise is slight, but it discourages you all the same and you let your hands dangle at your sides again.

There’s hardly enough light to see by. It becomes dark, darker, yet darker. It’s comforting. You keep walking.

After what feels like an oddly long walk, you almost run smack into a door.

Ah.

This must be the exit.

With an expansive sigh, you turn and put your back flat against the door. It grounds you and the darkness allows you to feel as though you’re untouchable, unfindable. Sliding down to sit, you spend an obscure amount of time just... _being_.

It's with regret that you return to the house and lay in the guest bed.

\----------

It surprises you how much Temmie continues to visit you, despite her obvious fear of Asgore. Maybe it’s something unique to monsters like Temmie? Most humans you know up top wouldn't have had the energy or the resources to keep coming back to try to convince someone to leave a... situation for so long. Yet Temmie persists.

She’s a good friend.

The thought lances through you like a sharp pain and you grip the shirt you were folding tightly. Your friends... Your family...

You’re never going to see them again, are you?

Tears boil over as you clutch the shirt to your face, trying to stifle your modest sobs.

How long has it been since they'd seen you? How many days did your roommate wait before contacting the police? Have you been declared dead yet? God, they probably thought you'd been kidnapped. Your college classes... who will pay for them now? Will the college force your parents to pay for them in your stead? They can't afford that. You hope that your best friend doesn't think you've abandoned her.

As you curl up on the floor of the guest room, sobbing brokenly into the fabric, you try to remember what the last thing you said to each loved one is. You find that you can't and that only makes you cry harder.

\----------

Asgore comes home to find you curled up on the floor, clutching one of the shirts he lets you borrow, having cried yourself out by then.

You didn't finish your chores.

You will be punished.

\----------

Next time, you know better than to be lying around on the job.

\----------

Temmie nearly causes you to burn yourself when she performs her usual sudden appearance as you're cooking. Asgore must have left. He hasn't been telling you when he leaves as often, forcing you to be on guard all the time because if you don't know he left, you also won't know when he’ll arrive back home.

"Fucking shit, Temmie!" you shout angrily, quickly letting go of the pan on the stove. Pancakes today. Temmie scrunches in on herself apologetically.

"sOrry!!!" Taking an exasperated breath, you step away from the stovetop.

"It's okay, I'm fine. You just scared me," you grumble, putting your hands on your hips.

"tEMMIE will b MOER CAREFUL!!!!" she insists. You sigh, about to turn back to cooking when you have a thought.

"Temmie. How _do_ you do that? Show up and leave so suddenly, I mean?"

The monster stares you down, unusually sedate for once.

"temmie went 2 colleg."

You suppose you have nothing to respond to that with.

\----------

The nighttime visits to the door in the "basement," as it were, become more frequent. The stress is getting to you.

It isn't until you’ve gone on several of these ventures that something significant happens.

There is a knock on the door.

It nearly gives you a heart attack when it happens. It might have given you a concussion. It definitely gives you a bruise on the back of your skull when you accidentally slam your head against the door. Gripping the back of your head with both hands, you desperately try to not to cry out in pain, your breathing heavy and strained.

As the pain starts to fade away, someone knocks twice more on the door and follows it up by saying, "knock knock."

"Who's there?" you reply automatically before wanting to give your head another bruise for making such a stupid decision by responding. Whoever that is now knows you are here and can come in and attack you.

"Doris," the voice supplies. It’s a soft, calm, yet confident voice.

"Doris who?"

"Doris locked! That's why I'm knocking!" The voice chuckles, clearly amused at its own joke. Locked? Locked is good. Locked means that whoever it is can't come in. You sigh in relief.

"Aww, c'mon, I thought that was one of my better ones. Not even a giggle?" it asks. When you pause too long, uncertain how to respond, it continues, "I don't think I can _handle_ it if you didn't like my joke!" That one earns a snort of laughter from you. The first time you've laughed since you first fell.

"Well, I wouldn't want to leave you in a _jamb,_ " you finally respond.

"I'd become _unhinged_ otherwise."

"How _a-door-able_ of you to say so."

"Eh, I just think you're a _door-k,_ " the voice chimes in once more. You giggle softly. At a loss for a good comeback, you let the silence sit for several moments until the voice speaks up again.

"So, are you usually listening through the door?"

"What? No," you gasp, slightly offended at the implied accusation of eavesdropping, "Why? Do you come down here to talk to... the door a lot?" You hear a small thud against the door and a sliding noise. It is probably sitting down, leaning against the door much like you are.

"Obviously I was practicing my knock-knock jokes. Just that no one's ever replied before."

"... That's kind of weird."

"Don't care. You seemed to be having fun with it," it points out. You think about that and realizes it has a good point.

"Fair enough. When are you usually down here? I usually come at night when I can... get away," you vaguely wave off the details. You don't want to talk about that right now.

"I usually come earlier, but tonight, I was just in the mood," the voice replies nonchalantly.

“For a late-night joke session with a door,” you fill in.

“Of course. But yeah, don’t usually come down this late.”

"Oh." You try not to let your disappointment shine through.

"If you like jokes and puns, though, I can come over at night more often. Wouldn't mind the company," it drawls. You perk up.

"It's a deal." You stand up, brushing off your pants. "I have to go back, though, but I'll see you some other time soon?"

"Sure."

\----------

You now have two friends.

\----------

You’ve established a good rapport with the voice you trade humor with through the door. It doesn't know your name and you don't know its name either, but you hold onto that connection like a lifeline.

Somehow, you managed to keep Asgore and Temmie both from discovering your frequent trips to the door. You spend your time cleaning trying to come up with new jokes and puns for your friend, but the voice is far better at the craft than you are.

Still, it’s worthwhile.

\----------

"Child. You missed several spots." Asgore's finger points accusingly at the mirror in the hallway you’ve been assigned to dust. You stand up from the small, decorative table supporting one of the succulents to look back. Confusion crosses your features. You haven't done any worse or better of a job than usual, so you aren't sure what you missed.

You walk over hesitantly, bringing the hand-towel and cleaning spray with you. His finger still points at the same spot.

"Um. What spot did I miss, sir?" Your voice is becoming softer as time passes. With a sudden outrage, Asgore whips his hand away from the mirror and grabs your hair, causing you to shriek and drop the cleaning supplies. Before you have a chance to react further, he slams your face against the mirror.

The pain is like a numb explosion on your face.

You almost feel weightless. Like you don't really exist within yourself. Distantly, you can hear Asgore has made a sound like a snarl at you.

"Right here," he hisses, "in the corner, where you've let _filthy dust_ pile up."

Your sight drifts down to see small flecks of dust in the corner, just like he says. The ache in your face is beginning to distract you. You feel so floaty that you almost miss his question.

"What do you have to say for yourself, child?"

"I'm sorry, sir," a distant part of you mumbles, "I'll fix it."

"This better be properly clean by the time I return," he snaps, releasing your hair. You slump against the wall and mirror, nearly forgetting to hold yourself up. Asgore's thundering footsteps leave you alone again.

Peeling your face off of the mirror's surface, you sigh at the mark you had left on it before catching sight of your reflection.

Despite everything, it's still you.

\----------

At some point during your conversations with the voice at the door, the voice opens up about itself somewhat.

It’s subtle, of course, but it’s significant all the same. The only other two monsters you know Underground are hardly what you'd call forthcoming about themselves. It happens during one of the many joke sessions the two of you have.

"Alright, well, tell me _something_ about yourself!" you implore.

"Why?"

"Because... uh, you owe me!" you joke easily. The voice barks a laugh.

"This is _entrapment_!" it chortles.

"Heh. Buddy, believe you me, entrapment is something different altogether..." you trail off, not quite expecting yourself to be that honest during a clearly facetious argument. There's a quiet pause from your speaking companion.

"Y'mean to tell me you're stuck behind this door or something?" The voice sounds oddly concerned for your well-being, which surprises you. You are all too aware of your reliance on the voice through the door, but haven't thought that the voice has any sort of attachment to you. After all, it can go where it wants and you’re stuck with... Anyways.

"I guess you could call it something like that..."

"Door locked from your side, too?"

"No. At least, I don't think so? I've never tried it." You shrug. Another muted pause.

"Sounds like you don't wanna be wherever you are, though."

"... You could say that."

"Why not just leave, then?" it suggests. You stare at the calluses that had been forming on your hands, rubbing one of your palms. You remain silent for several moments before responding.

"Like I said, entrapment is something different. It's okay if you don't understand," you mumble. The voice lets out a sharp laugh, bitter-sounding.

"Buddy, trust me, I understand better than you know."

"But," you reply in confusion, "but you're on _your_ side of the door. You can go wherever you want."

"Freedom is relative, buddy," it snaps, clearly irritated at this point. You keep your mouth shut, processing that comment. Relative, huh? Your companion sighs deeply.

"Look, any monster down here understands what it's like to be trapped. You should remember that," it explains, tone thready and tired. What does _that_ mean?

The rest of your time that night is spent in silence until the voice knocks once on the door to tell you goodbye.

\-----------

Several days later, you finally have a chance to ask Temmie to verify what you've been pondering over since your comedic companion mentioned it.

Temmie is seated by the fireplace as you sweep the living room. She’s been peculiarly soft-spoken lately. Maybe she’s beginning to give up on you leaving? You aren't sure if that makes you feel better or worse.

"Temmie? Can I ask you something about the Underground?" Your tone wavers slightly as you speak. Temmie seems to pop up with interest.

"ya, of corse!" You stop sweeping to stand still before her, nervously tightening and loosening your grip on the broom handle.

"Why would monsters have a reason to feel trapped?"

"cuz monsters IS trapt in unergrond!" Temmie chirps simply.

"But why? I mean, at least some of you are magic, right?"

"dun matter. hUmans trapt us looooOoong ago with th barrier!! nun of our magic strong nuff, not like human DETERMINATION." Her emphasis on that last word feels weighty somehow, like the word itself has been laid across you as a cloak and is pulling you down. You shake off the feeling and begin to sweep again, nodding in thanks.

"y u ask, hUman?!" the small monster asks. You jump slightly, not expecting an interrogation.

"Oh. Uh. Overheard Asgore say something about it," you lie smoothly. Your friend seems to accept that explanation.

It feels too easy to lie.

\-----------

"Is it just the barrier that makes you feel trapped?" you blurt. That question’s been eating away at you for days. It took several more conversations with the voice before you feel comfortable enough to pry.

"Jumping right in, huh, buddy?" it sighs.

"Sorry," you squeak, "I've just been wondering. It's none of my business."

"Nah, it's fine. I don't mind," it drawls. You hear a familiar sound through the door. A lighter? Is it... smoking? How had you not noticed before? And where do monsters get cigarettes down here? If it _is_ a cigarette. You shake your head, reminding yourself to actually listen to its answer.

"I guess I’ve been feeling... heh... _collared_ in my relationship right now." It says that the same way it says puns, but you don't get the joke.

"How so?"

"Well," the voice shifts a little, "he doesn't always... How do I put it? He doesn't always take time after we're intimate to really connect with me? Sometimes it feels like we've fallen into a _rut_ \--" you snort at the bad sex pun, "--and, I dunno, I guess it would just be nice to feel closer? Softer? Sometimes, anyways. But it doesn't really feel like I can bring it up."

"Why not?" you ask, alarmed. Not being allowed to bring something up... It doesn't sit right with you.

"Mostly I'm just too embarrassed to ask, I guess. It's stupid," the voice dismisses. Internally, you sigh with relief.

"Well," you assert, " _I_ happen to think that he's lucky to have _ensnared_ someone as cool as you, buddy." The voice chuckles softly at that.

"Nah, I'm lucky to be with him." You can almost hear the fond smile in its tone.

" _Awwwwww_ ," you coo, saccharine. The voice makes a gagging noise, which you reciprocate with more laughter.

"Very funny, buddy," it snarks.

"Why do you keep calling me 'buddy,' anyways?" you ask suddenly.

"Uh, you're the one who started calling me 'buddy' first, buddy."

"What? I did?"

"Yep."

"Oh. Well, do you mind if I keep calling you that? It's kinda fun." You find that you rather like the idea of having a nickname for the voice. Your Buddy.

"Only if I get to call you 'buddy' back."

"It's a deal."

\----------

Your luck has to run out eventually.

Asgore catches you descending the stairs, plainly not asleep in his bed like usual, but awake and angry. You freeze on the steps, trembling violently. Is he finally going to kill you? Have you become too much of a problem for him to tolerate you? Is this the final straw?

"Come here, child," he commands, his voice deep and threatening. You approach him slowly, wanting for anything else to happen. Anything at all.

"Naughty little girls need to be punished," he simpers at you, his large hand tightly clasping your forearm and yanking you closer, "and **Daddy** will have to punish you for trying to leave."

Never mind. You prefer how this usually goes down instead.

You’re going to throw up.

\----------

It might not have been the last straw for him.

But it is certainly the last straw for _you._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, what do you think, BUDDY?
> 
> Any guesses on who the Buddy is? (It's not a particularly difficult guess tbh but I'm curious.)
> 
> I honestly considered letting this section of the story stretch out, but figured that I don't want this slow burn to be TOO slow, so don't worry, the human will get to meet to Swapfell brothers relatively soon.
> 
> Also yes door jamb is spelled JAMB, I looked it up, that is how it was spelled, but apparently nobody believes me >_>
> 
> I actually put a lot of effort into writing Temmie's dialogue. XD I hope people like how it came out.
> 
> Additional fun thing to think about: Temmie being grossed out by the thought of corpses was something I sort of drew from personal experience. I'm Swedish and Jewish. My mom is from Sweden and in Sweden, all bodies are cremated and the ashes are placed unmarked in a cemetary, the idea being that you can visit any cemetary to pay respects because it isn't the actual location that matters. Consequently, my mom is freaked out by the thought of dead bodies being buried and can't even enter most American cemetaries because of it. On the other hand, in Judaism, you're not supposed to cremate or even do anything to the body if you can help it. If you do anything to the body, it's often seen as doing the same to the soul, so cremation is somewhat horrifying to Jews. Consequently, a Jewish friend was freaked out when I related the Swedish tradition to her. (She acknowledged that this was a personal thing ofc.) So that played into that bit of writing for me. Fun fact~~


	3. You Keep Moving Forward

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time to plan your escape.
> 
> Some new characters arrive on the scene.
> 
> You have your first encounter with dust.
> 
> Everything is changing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had originally considered waiting another few days before posting my 3rd chapter, but I'm just too excited to keep it to myself! 
> 
> Warning for minor character death and hope that may or may not be false!
> 
> As always, please feel free to come chat with me at my Undertale nsfw tumblr! I'm also much more willing to answer questions that will be spoilers there as well, if anyone wants to grill me ;D <https://sinssansguilt.tumblr.com>

This will have to be done carefully.

\----------

Now that you’ve made the decision to leave, forcing yourself to wait is  _ excruciating _ . Your first step, though, is to tell Temmie, your only real resource for escape.

Asgore keeps… “helping” you with chores ever since the situation got worse, though. As draining as it is to dread his return when you’re doing chores alone, his constant presence is so much worse. You have to keep that smile on your face or you risk Asgore…

Anyways.

It takes several days of this constant charade before your host finally tires of it and leaves you alone for a day. You’re anxiously cleaning the kitchen when Temmie finally appears.

“hOi hu--”

“TemmieIwantoleave” you ramble off, cringing in anticipation of her excitement. To your surprise, Temmie grows completely still and is the most serious you’ve ever seen her.

“temmie is ver proud of u. tem will help u,” your friend swears gravely. The two of you stare at each other, mouths pressed into firm lines of DETERMINATION. You wring your hands anxiously for a moment before finally asking the next question.

“So… how do we do it? When?”

“temmie will reserch, find out. temmie will tell u. human just haz 2 go down steps when th time comes.” Temmie still hasn’t moved, her gaze meeting yours unwaveringly. Closing your eyes briefly and inhaling a shaky breath, you steady your hands and nod once more. Your ally’s ears twitch distractedly and she peers past you. You’re already looking behind yourself when she says, “tem must go prepare. b ready, human.” You don’t need to look back to know she’s gone.

Now, to wait.

\----------

You can’t let Asgore suspect a thing.

Squelching down any sense of impatience whenever you're around your...  _ host _ is a measure of willpower that you didn't know you had. He absolutely cannot pick up on any change in your demeanor.

How obedient is too obedient? If you’re too cooperative, will he notice the difference? Will he suspect that you’re biding your time? But if you rebel too much, he may escalate.

You're overthinking this. You allow yourself to zone out when his hands are on you, let your body react without your input.

Asgore doesn't seem to notice anything.

\-----------

The… situation feels especially strenuous now that you're left in this limbo of waiting. Temmie hasn't shown up since you told her you want to leave.

With the loneliness eating at you, the desire to visit your buddy grows.

But you can't risk going to the door again and being caught.

\-----------

Organizing items to take with you in a subtle manner is certainly a challenge. Without knowing what the Underground will be like past the door, it's hard to prepare. It's especially hard to set items together in a way that won't catch your host’s attention.

Maybe a sweater? The pants you're usually wearing should be fine. Unless it's really hot out? Being prepared for cold might be a better idea.

You need to be ready.

\-----------

How many days has it been since you last saw Temmie?

You try not to think about it. You can't handle the thought that you may be stuck here.

\----------

“hUMaN!!!” Temmie abruptly springs up in front of you as you turn to reach a mixing spoon in the kitchen. You nearly scream, but manage to stifle it down to a loud squawk.

“Temmie, what the hell--”

“nOt now!! u need 2 go NOW!!! tem wILL disTRaCT! nOW, HuMAN!!!!” Temmie stage-whispers with a conspiratorial tone, glancing over her shoulder.

“But, but I--” you stutter only to be interrupted by Temmie actually pushing you away from the counter.

“NOW!!!!!!!” Temmie shrieks. You look behind you at the doorway of the kitchen and Temmie has disappeared when you look back. You only hesitate for a moment before abandoning the food cooking on the stove.

No time to take the items you wanted with you or change back into the clothes you fell down in. Temmie is risking her life to distract Asgore for you, you’re certain of it, and you can't waste it by dawdling to steal things. You'll have to survive without them.

You thunder down the steps just as the sound of wood splintering fills Asgore’s home. Pausing only briefly at the bottom of the steps, you tear off down the long, dark hallway, bumping into the walls in your rush, adding more bruises to your collection.

Slamming into the door at full-tilt, the stone grinds loudly against the floor as you push it open. It opens steadily and unhurriedly.

There's just enough space to slip through the doorway. You leap through, allowing the door to ominously slide closed behind you.

 

 

You’re free.

 

 

The frigid cold outside the door isn't your only reason for shaking. You almost can't believe you’re out. Tears threaten to spill down your face.

It’s freezing from the snow drifting delicately down from the… cave ceiling? Whatever, it doesn't matter how. You actively avoid considering whether or not Asgore will try to follow you; you'd have no chance, so what's the point? The problem now is going to be surviving this weather in only a t-shirt and some jeans.  Why didn't Temmie warn you about this?

You mentally kick yourself for being ungrateful towards your small friend. Temmie is the reason you’re alive.

Rather than following the path before you, you opt to walk amongst the trees for what little cover they provide from snow and sight. Wrapping your arms around yourself, you trek forward, hoping you can survive long enough to find food and shelter.

\------------

Holy fuck, your feet are cold.

The landscape doesn't change much as you make a path through the snow. You consider trying to hide your footprints, but with what? All you'd really be able to do is kick up the snow to hide your footprints, but you'd still leave a path of disturbed snow in your wake.

You decide not to waste the energy.

\----------

Everything aches from the freezing cold. 

How long have you been walking?

\----------

Still no sign of other life or shelter.

\----------

You suppose freezing to death out here was still preferable to staying with Asgore. There was technically still the option to turn back, but you'd rather die out here than be anywhere near him. And you'd been walking long enough that you likely wouldn't make it back in time anyways.

You keep moving forward.

\----------

The pain of clenching all your muscles to brace against the cold is truly starting to slow you down. It isn't much longer before you'll probably collapse and freeze to death in the snow. Hypothermia, right? You'd heard it wasn't the worst way to go.

Your face is in the snow.

It takes your mind a moment to catch up and realize that you've been slammed into the ground from behind, the air knocked out of you in one smooth motion.

Before you can even consider struggling, something pulls your hand up your back the way cops always do on TV. And just like it seems on TV, it's incredibly painful. A garbled shriek erupts from you as you feebly wriggle beneath the mystery assailant.

“Shut  _ up! _ ” the figure hisses. Your face is ground into the harsh snow, disrupting your breathing. The hand is removed from your head to bind your wrists behind you with raw rope. You're unceremoniously flipped over to come face to face with your new captor.

Kneeling to loom over you is a… rabbit monster? Its yellow fur appears dingy, especially in contrast with its black outfit. Neither yellow nor black seem to be good camouflage in the snow, you muse.

The rabbit pulls a dagger out of its boot and sets it against your neck, sneering as your trembling increases under the implicit threat.

“We're not gonna yell again, now, are we?” it whispers darkly.

“Yes, sir.”

It slips out before you even realize it. The phrase has been drilled into your brain. You feel nauseous. The rabbit grins, lifting the dagger away to twirl it in its hand.

“What a find today! Such a polite prisoner,” it continues in the same jeering tone, “Why, I can't decide if I should just kill you for the EXP or if I should turn you in for the reward.” You say nothing.

“Well, maybe I'll need to test the merchandise first.” The rabbit pauses the knife-twirling to smile threateningly at you.

Before you fully make the decision, your foot slams into the rabbit’s stomach. It chokes on the air as it drops the dagger into the snow.

_ Shit, fuck, fuck. _

You scramble away as quickly as you can manage with your wrists behind your back and the numbness in your limbs. It isn't very far.

The rabbit recovers quickly and strides over to you, crushing his boot into your sternum. You resist screaming admirably, with only a wheezing noise escaping you. 

“You nasty little piece of shit. You're going to suffer now--”

An. Explosion? Happens?

You're blinded by a white blast of light and the pressure on your sternum wrenches away. A piercing scream fills the forest as the sound of the light thunders through. Just as soon as it began, it's over. Blinking the spots out of your eyes, you realize the rabbit is gone.

Grey particles float down onto your body. You gag.

“What mongrel thought they could hunt in  _ my territory? _ ” a voice snarls from some distance away. With a lurch, you try to wriggle away from the voice, not even stopping to look. The new threat sighs.

“Papyrus, catch them.”

“Of course, m’lord.”

Hands grasp your arms as you begin to scream and struggle, panic setting in. Not again, not again!

The second figure, you assume, throws you over their shoulder and stands at their full, impressive height. Looking past the one holding you up, you connect eyes with the first voice.

It's a skeleton?

They're rather petite, especially compared to the one holding you, and are wearing some sort of dark purple armor set. Their eyes seem a piercing lavender color that sits like lights in their sockets, scars lining their face. They stand regal and assured, commanding obedience.

You can't help it; you scream. They'd just killed someone and you were still trying to blink the dust out of your eyes and they didn't seem to care. You can't handle being kept hostage again, to be abused as your captor sees fit.  _ You can't.  _ The panic is overwhelming. 

As you scream and thrash ineffectively, the petite skeleton strides forward, grips your chin in a gloved hand, and growls, “be silent  **now** .”

Your scream dies in your throat.

“You are my prisoner now and you will obey me. Is that clear?” After a long pause, you nod slowly. The skeleton narrows their eyes at you and finally releases your jaw, turning ****away from you and walking around to face the other figure.

“Bring us home,” the smaller kidnapper orders.

“Yes, m’lord,” the tall one responds quietly. The world seems to lurch and steal your breath.

You black out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Huzzah! We finally meet the skeletons we've all been waiting for!
> 
> In truth, I wanted the human to meet them by the 4th chapter since it IS about the human and them, after all.
> 
> But what happened to poor Temmie? Will the human ever find out again? She actually seemed to be a real friend, so let's hope she's alright.
> 
> There was nothing but tension before, but suddenly everything is happening all at once now!
> 
> As far as the "yes sir" goes, the human DID say that to Asgore before. I just didn't point it out much to the reader. :3
> 
> Edit: I forgot to mention that the rabbit monster we met is the Nice Cream Guy in this AU. I changed his fur color because I wanted there to be a certain impact of the yellow coming back as a color and also because if Grillby's fire can change color between AUs, then why not the rabbit's fur color? I also decided that Nice Cream Guy switched place with Doggo in this AU, more or less, so Nice Cream Guy can't see things that aren't moving either. (It just didn't come up.) Nice Cream Guy would have also been renamed to Bunbun in this AU if we'd stuck around with him longer; I feel like "Bunbun" has a similar feel to "Doggo" for some reason. XD


	4. The Skeletons are Back

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Introductions are made. 
> 
> More of your past is revealed.
> 
> A terrible realization.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this one took some time to crank out, the chapter fought me. >_>

You awake immediately, mind spinning from the stress.

Passing out is always awful. You're covered in sweat and feel incredibly lightheaded. The tall captor is still holding you over their shoulder, allowing you to make out the carpeting on the floor. You're indoors now? It seems you didn't awaken quite as immediately as you'd thought, then. You're being carried through the indoor space, your head hanging down uncomfortably.

The carpet is grey.

It's difficult to think straight. The few times you've passed out in your life always seem to leave you feeling jumbled and strained. Should you try to escape?

The thought of being under someone else's control again makes you feel even more sick. Considering the state you're in… No. Trying to escape would only cost you your life.

Best to pretend you're unconscious for now.

“The human is awake.” You flinch away from the voice of the smaller captor.

“Yes, m’lord.” The tall one is beginning to go down some stairs? To where?

“You can try to escape if you want to, human,” the smaller one comments lightly, “but know that we enjoy a good chase.” You can  _ hear _ the smile in their voice. A shudder goes through you, but you otherwise remain still. As if pretending you weren't awake would make it so.

The bottom of the stairs is reached. More grey floor, but this time made of concrete. After a moment of walking, a creaking, clanging sound fills the room.

You're unceremoniously dropped onto the floor of a cell. All of your limbs tingle painfully as you move to sit up. Your taller captor is already outside the cell and closes the door with a clang.

You finally see that both of your kidnappers are skeletons. Unlike the petite one, the monster that had carried you didn't appear to be wearing armor. Instead, they have a leather motorcycle jacket with a furred collar, a sweater, and leather pants. They do share the same black and purple color scheme with their companion, though. Except for the lights that hover in their eye sockets; white. 

The shorter skeleton narrows their eyes at you and a strange sensation passes through you. Nothing painful, exactly, but it makes you feel exposed and uncomfortable. Without moving from the center of your cell, you hunch over, watching the two with wary eyes.

“... They can survive for a while longer without food or water. Come,” the small one gestures to their companion, who simply nods and follows the other back up the stairs.

You're alone.

\----------

The cell isn't freezing like it is outside, at least. There isn't much to look at in your prison. Grey floors, grey walls, black bars. Nothing else.

The floor is uncomfortable. You can't let yourself fall asleep.

You can't let yourself be vulnerable again.

\----------

It's hard to stay awake. You had such an exhausting day and you're tired and you're hungry and you're thirsty and you just want to sleep.

You scoot back up against the wall farthest from the stairs, leaning against the uncomfortable concrete to try to stay awake.

\----------

It doesn't work.

\----------

A loud clatter wakes you jarringly from your sleep, your heart pounding so rapidly that you can feel it throughout your body.

The skeletons are back.

“Ah, good, you're awake,” the shorter skeleton says in a falsely sweet voice. You huddle back up against the wall, trembling already. The small one tsks, wagging their finger at you.

“Papyrus, move our prisoner where I want them.”

“Yes, m’lord.” The tall one, Papyrus, approaches the bars but, instead of opening them, only raises his hand, as if about to cast a spell. It would be funny if your life weren't in their hands.

Papyrus’ right eye flares a deep fuchsia color and you find the pose much less amusing. A force grips your entire body, restricting your breathing. Panic begins to set in anew and you attempt to struggle, but are barely able to move within the grip of the magic.

The force lifts you before setting you down in the center of your cell cross-legged. Your arms are forced behind your back and your head is forced up to look at the skeletons. Papyrus doesn't lower their hand and continues to hold you in place as they give a nod to their companion.

The smaller skeleton casually unlocks the door and holds their hand out to Papyrus expectantly. With their free hand, the tall skeleton places a _ serrated knife in their hand oh god oh god you're going to die no no _

“I believe it's time to introduce myself, human.” The small one walks into the prison with a graceful nonchalance that does nothing to settle your growing fear. “I am Sans, Lieutenant of the Royal Guard, tasked with capturing humans for our Queen.” They stop just before you, twirling the blade in their hand. “And I want information.”

This can't be happening.

“First, human, you will tell me who you are,” Sans drawls, leaning down slightly to look at you.

“M-M-My name is ______,” you stutter out, unable to look away.

“Good. Now,” their gloved hand grabs your hair and rips your head back, twisting you backwards in your sitting position. You shriek in startled pain, the magic hold making it impossible to even catch your breath. 

“ **TELL ME WHAT YOU KNOW** .”

“I-I-I-I-I-I’ll tell you, I'll tell you, tell me what, I'll tell you, oh god,” you blubber hysterically. You can't handle this, you can't, you can't, you can't, you can't. The grip on your hair is released and you're allowed to sit upright once more.

“Very good,” the lieutenant pats the top of your head insultingly. You're used to that.

“Tell me about human weapons, then.”

There's a long pause as you try to fight through your panic for an answer. 

“Like… like, what about them…?” you ask hesitantly. Sans sighs disgustedly.

“What kinds of weapons, what they do, how they work, how many you have.  **ANSWER ME** .”

“Okay okay okay okay! Uh, uh, w-we have guns and and bigger guns and weapons and nukes and bombs and probably some other stuff I don't know uh I guess chemical weapons uh--”

“These ‘nukes,’“ Sans interrupts, “how do they work?”

“Uh. I guess they… blow stuff up?”

With a snarl, Sans grabs your throat and forces you to twist back painfully again, their face inches from yours.

“ **D O  N O T  T O Y  W I T H  M E ,  H U M A N .  T E L L  M E  W H A T  I  W A N T  T O  K N O W** .” You start sobbing uncontrollably, every breath painful.

“I-I-I told you everything I know, I swear, I swear, please don't hurt me!”

They finally bring that terrifying knife up to your face, your begging cutting off immediately.

“If you continue to withhold information from me, human, I will remove your eye. Do not lie to me. What kind of human doesn't know about their own warfare capabilities?” they asked rhetorically, but you find yourself unable to stop before answering.

“I'm just a cashier, I went to college for an art major,” you whisper.

Sans glares at you intensely, reading the terror on your face. That strange, invasive sensation from before passes through you again.

“M’lord, I believe they are telling the truth. After all, they only have 1 LV. What would they know about warfare?” Papyrus comments from outside the cage.

Sans glares harder at you, pondering their companion’s words.

“That may be true…” They raise the knife level with your left eye. “I could still torture them, just to be sure…”

The terror of their threat rocks you to your core. The jagged knife pointing at your eye demands all of your attention as you try to remain still. Your shaking is too great and you fear losing your eye.

“M’lord, they're just a child…” Papyrus murmurs, sending a meaningful glance towards your other captor. Sans appears to consider this for a moment.

“I'm not a child,” you croak. Your voice is hoarse from the persistent fear of the day. But… you can't handle another captor referring to you as a child. You just can't.

“Tch.” Sans raises a brow at you, flicking their wrist delicately to have the knife twirl elegantly away from your face. Their grip on your throat remains. Your back aches fiercely. “Why are you wearing stripes, then, human?”

Stripes? Your eyes flicker down to the striped t-shirt you had been… loaned by Asgore. (It still doesn't feel like it belongs to you.) You wear it only because it was all your first captor had to offer.

The two skeletons are clearly waiting for an explanation. You inhale shakily.

“I… what do stripes have to do with anything?”

Sans and Papyrus look to each other and seem to converse in silence for a moment as Sans releases your throat.

“We're asking why you're wearing children's stripes,” the taller skeleton explains slowly, as if speaking to an animal.

“What do you mean, ‘children's stripes?!’ Since when did stripes belong to anyone?” Your voice cracks as you begin to snap under the pressure. Don't let this be another test that you're designed to fail. You hate those tests the most.

“Do your human children not wear stripes? How do you tell them apart from the adults?” Sans asks in exasperation, disbelief edging their tone.

“We grow to a… certain… height…”

  
  
  


Wait.

 

Monster children wear stripes to tell them apart from monster adults. 

Because monsters all look so different, so having something to differentiate would be useful.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  


Asgore only ever gave you striped shirts to wear.

  
  
  


The bile reaches your mouth before you finish processing the thought. Papyrus must have sensed what was about to happen somehow and releases you from the magical hold. You lurch to the side and what little food is left in your system comes up violently. It feels as if you're turning inside out. Your mouth is acrid as you dry heave, the sound echoing wretched in your cell. One of the skeletons gags briefly.

You nearly collapse onto your side, the energy drained from your body. All that vomiting and you still feel repulsive.

Every shirt Asgore ever gave you… from the beginning. All of them.

Children's stripes. 

You need to get it off. You can't let it keep touching you. With a bellow of rage and grief, you drag the striped shirt over your head and fling it at the bars of your cell, screaming, “Get this thing away from me!”

Papyrus startles at your sudden action. Sans, who must have moved to stand at the entrance to your prison, doesn't even flinch.

You hunch over, trying to hide your breasts from their gaze. The bra you'd had on originally has long since disappeared, just like your backpack had. As awful as it is to be topless in front of your new captors, it's better than having that disgusting shirt on.

You drag yourself to a corner of the cell as far away from where the shirt fell as possible and curl into a ball on your side, face towards the wall. Your skin is clammy from sick sweat and everything aches. You don't even react when Sans uses magic to hold you in place so that Papyrus can come clean up your vomit. The pressure of the magic is oddly comforting and, combined with your weariness, sends you into a fitful sleep.

\----------

When you wake up later, sore and cramped, you discover a large, baggy, black t-shirt on the floor of the cell. Desperate for coverage, you quickly slip it on, refusing to question why your captors would do something so considerate for you.

There will be time to worry later.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Muahahahah... I have been waiting to reveal that last section.
> 
> As a side note, the human being confused on if she just woke up or not... she actually did just wake up, but she isn't aware that Papyrus teleported them.
> 
> Heh. Also, I hope people find my description of passing out to be good enpugh. I've passed out... at least 7 times in my life?
> 
> I'm aware that I broke from Papyrus' typical color scheme in Swapfell here. But I'm not a huge fan of 3 of the main 4 universe's Paps all having orange magic. The Sanses all get to have different colors, so why not Papyrus? So I changed Pap's magic color to be a deep fuchsia and made his outfit be purple and black, like his brother's.
> 
> And yeah, I made Sans a Lt in the Royal Guard, basically one rank below Captain Alphys.
> 
> I really wanted the interrogation to add some world building based on Sans' assumptions about the Surface. I wonder what conclusions y'all will draw?
> 
> Fun fact about this AU: like in most Swap AUs, there is a village of Floweys instead of Temmies. BUT. I didn't wanna use a flower since I put cacti throughout Asgore's house instead. So it's actually a village of cacti named Spikey and they all have prickly dispositions. 8D


	5. You Don't Move

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things change.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one's a little shorter, but I thought it worked best that way.
> 
> Edit: Yeah I changed my username cuz I wanted it to match my Undertale sin blog.
> 
> Trigger warnings:  
> suicidal thoughts (of the "I don't want to exist" variety), disordered eating (of the "not eating at all" variety), and depression.

You lay down on the floor, facing the wall farthest from the stairs. You have no idea how long you've been left alone since you came to and found the black shirt.

It probably belongs to Papyrus. Sans is smaller than you.

Part of you feels… broken. More broken, anyways. After realizing the significance of the stripes…

Well. You don't feel like existing anymore.

It doesn't really matter, though. Your fate is not up to you. As it’s been since you first fell, your life is in the hands of whoever has captured you now.

It doesn't matter.

\----------

You've taken to counting in an effort to occupy your mind.

Thirty-six, thirty-seven, thirty-eight, thirty-nine…

Your thoughts keep going back to Asgore. You need to count more.

Fifty-eight, fifty-nine, sixty, sixty-one…

\----------

The sound of footsteps rouses you from your mental check-out, your head lifting slightly from the floor before resettling.

The cell door doesn't open, but you hear something slide across the floor.

“I'm sure you're probably hungry by now,” the soft voice of the taller skeleton says.

You don't react.

They wait for several moments, but seeing you motionless, they seem to give up and go back upstairs.

You're not sure if you actually smell the food or just imagine it. Your stomach twists in on itself painfully.

You don't move.

You want nothing to do with anything anymore.

\----------

Papyrus comes down later to retrieve the plate. They make a frustrated noise when they see the food is untouched and you haven't moved.

The plate slides away from you and Papyrus goes back upstairs again, presumably taking the plate with them.

You don't move.

\----------

You fidget with your hands, lying in the same spot as you wait for whatever is coming next. You clench each hand briefly in a specific order to distract yourself.

Left, right, right, left.  
Right, left, left, right.  
Right, left, left, right.  
Left, right, right, left.

Now for the other side.

Right, left, left, right.  
Left, right, right, left.  
…

\----------

Another plate is slid across the floor.

You don't move.

\----------

The plate is retrieved, still full of food.

The pain in your stomach and the blistering headache from your hunger serve to distract you.

\----------

Eighty-eight, eighty-nine, ninety, ninety-one…

\----------

Another plate is brought down.

You don't move.

\----------

Right, left, left, right.  
Left, right, right, left.

\----------

You don't move.

\----------

You don't move.

\----------

You don't move.

\----------

You don't move.

\----------

\----------

\----------

Papyrus comes down the steps again, probably with another plate of food, like usual. You're not sure how long you've been here, but it feels like ages.

The familiar slide of the plate across the floor.

The moments of silence.

Instead of leaving, Papyrus places their hands on the bars of the cell; you can tell from the clinking noise as they connect. They sigh and slide down to the floor.

“Buddy, come on, you've gotta eat something.”

For some reason, your captor showing concern for you pisses you right off. How dare they pretend to care at this point? After capturing you and terrorizing you? The nerve.

Without lifting your head, you croak, “I ain't your buddy, pal.”

Papyrus says nothing in response for several moments. Silence stretches out uncomfortably, awkwardly. Just as you're about to tell them to leave you alone, they tap their knuckles against the bars twice.

“Knock knock…” they say hesitantly. You're too tired not to reply.

“Who's there,” you deadpan.

“Doris.”

“Doris who.”

“Doris locked, buddy, that's why I'm knocking…” they say quietly, tapping the bars once more.

Why the hell were they telling you a pun at a time like this?

 

Wait.

 

Something finally clicks. Something about their voice, that joke, “buddy.”

Twisting as you do so, you lurch up to a sitting position to stare your captor in the eyes. Their gaze is pleading, hopeful, sad.

“Buddy?” you whisper, shaken.

“You wouldn't happen to enjoy bad puns by a certain door, would you?” the skeleton asks back.

For the first time in who knows how long, you move from your spot. Tears flow down your face as you scramble to the cell door, reaching out.

You stop just barely short of touching their hands on the bars, trembling on your knees as you cry.

“Buddy? It's really you, isn't it?” Your voice is threadbare as it fills the cage.

Papyrus puts one hand through the bars and clasps yours within their bony fingers. You grasp their fingers with what little strength is left in your body.

“Yeah, buddy, it's me,” they reassure you, smiling gently at you.

You fully break into sobs, blubbering incoherently as they simply hold your hand.

“I'm so happy it's you, I'm so happy, I can't even explain, thank god it’s you, thank god.”

“It's me,” they murmur soothingly, squeezing your hand.

After several minutes, your sobs finally slow up and your captor, your buddy, is able to finally ask you to eat again.

“Please. For me, buddy.”

“... okay.”

Papyrus looks over their shoulder at the stairs.

“I'm expected, so I gotta get going, alright? Please eat for me.”

“I will,” you promise. With one last squeeze, Papyrus releases your hand and leaves.

You finally look at the plate and see a sub sandwich sitting on it. Lettuce, tomato, cheese, mayo, roast beef… It actually looks delicious and your stomach wrenches to remind you of your hunger.

Without further delay, you devour the sub.

It tastes amazing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, please come talk to me at my Undertale sin blog, <https://sinssansguilt.tumblr.com/>!
> 
> Fun fact: the left/right fidgeting thing? I do that with my fingers, but more elaborate.
> 
> For the human, with no way to keep track of time and the way hunger and depression can distract you, feels like a very long time passed while she didn't eat. But it was actually like two days or so.
> 
> YAY! The human finally reconnected with her Buddy, who is actually Papyrus! I'm sure you're all completely shocked and could not have seen this coming lmao  
> I saw some intriguing hypotheses about why Sans and Papyrus didn't kill the human already. There IS a reason, tho, besides future smut. Some folks have gotten close, or guessed maybe half of the reason, why the human's still alive, but nobody's figured it out completely quite yet. It shall all be revealed in time....... in probably the next 2 chapters lol
> 
> Also yes Sans makes SUBS  
> SUB SANDWICHES  
> BECAUSE  
> HE LIKES  
> SUBS
> 
> 8D
> 
> i have been waiting months to make that joke


	6. I Missed You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There are reasons why you're still alive.
> 
> You reconnect with your Buddy a little.
> 
> You make a deal.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *punches chapter in the face* AND STAY DOWN

So.

This is kind of weird.

Papyrus--your Buddy, your captor--leans against the wall opposite your cell door, hands in his pockets. You're sitting by the door, quietly eating the sub he brought you.

You're uncertain how long it’s been since you two reconnected, but you think it's been a day or so since three meals have been delivered in that time. (You'd found out that they both went by “he” during the first sandwich.) The initial joy of discovery has since faded, only to be replaced by questions you're too afraid to ask. Bloated silence permeates the room as you eat quietly.

Instead of talking, you take in Papyrus’ appearance in detail for the first time.

He's long and gangly, hands nimbly fiddling with a toothpick he idly chews on sporadically. A crack in the bone extends from the bottom of his right eye for several centimeters. His teeth look sharp and the upper left canine has been replaced or coated with a gold substance. A loose collar sits about his neck, which fits the overall style of his outfit. His hood is lowered, making him seem more open to you. The skeleton’s white eyelights are cast towards the floor, however, making his expression difficult to read.

When you finish the sub and the glass of water, you slide them up to the bars and whisper, “thanks.” Papyrus perks up at the sound of your voice. 

“Yeah, no problem, Buddy.” His right eye, the one with the crack, glows that fuchsia color again and, with a flick of a wrist, the plate and glass float into his hands. Extinguishing the magic, he turns to leave.

“I…” You hesitate. He stops, turning back towards you with a browbone raised questioningly. You suppose it's a mark of how much you've adjusted to the Underground that you don't even question how his bony face does that.

“C-can we talk?” you barely whisper, looking away. You were showing weakness, a stupid mistake. But this is your Buddy… So maybe it's okay? Just this once?

Papyrus deliberates for a moment before shrugging amicably.

“Sure.” After setting the plate and glass on the steps, he approaches the cell bars and flops down to sit. You scoot a little closer to him, feeling the need to be secretive.

“I… I missed you,” you choke out.

“Aw, little Buddy…” he comments soothingly, but you shudder violently. “What's wrong?”

“Don't call me ‘little.’ Please.” He simply nods.

“Why were you gone for so long?” Papyrus finally asks, fiddling with the toothpick. You stare down at the floor in silence for a time. How much do you want to tell him? He's your friend, but… do you really want to talk about it?

“It…” Your mouth smacks awkwardly from how dry it is. “I couldn't risk being caught trying to leave.”

The tall skeleton seems taken aback, his eyes focusing on you intently.

“Caught? You mean there's someone still living in the Ruins?” You nod. “Who?”

“... I can't.”

Papyrus stares at you calculatingly, like he can see through you and into your experiences. Like he understands. He lets you drop the subject. After the quiet stretches for a bit, you finally screw up the courage to look up at him and ask the question that's been on your mind.

“You don't seem to have captured me to… take advantage of me or hurt me. Why am I still here?” You punctuate the inquiry by rapping your knuckles against the cell bars. Papyrus scratches the back of his neck absently, glancing to the side in thought before sighing.

“Alright, Buddy, how much do you actually know about the Underground?”

“Well,” you readjust your posture, futilely trying to get more comfortable on the concrete floor, “I know humans trapped you all here a really long time ago? And that the Underground is dangerous.” Your friend perks up, taking the toothpick out of his mouth to gesture with it as he speaks.

“Okay, that's a good place to start. So, you've got a soul, right?” You stare blankly. “You have a soul, just roll with it. If we gather up enough human souls, we can break the barrier, see?”

“So… where am I going from here?” you ask softly. He seems to deflate.

“Well, you go to the Queen once she stops by our station.” His voice is forcibly steady. You don't really want to know, but you're compelled to ask.

“... and then? How does she get my soul?”

Papyrus lets out a defeated exhale.

“She kills you.”

\----------

You think you went into shock, much like how you used to do whenever Asgore…

Papyrus is gone by the time you focus again. His absence stings, but you understand how awkward this already is for him. You also kind of hate him right now.

Scooting to the far wall, you lay with your back to it and try to sleep.

\----------

A sharp, metallic crack startles you awake, your heart racing. Sitting up, you spot Sans, your other captor on the other side of the bars. He must have hit them with something. 

“You've been asking questions, human.”

You say nothing.

The petite skeleton clearly doesn't like being ignored, judging by his expression. 

“Planning on escaping?” His disdain is obvious.

For some reason, this is the moment you just don't want to deal with anything anymore. Maybe it's because you're tired. Or because you're sore. Or because you're tired of being scared. But you snort bitterly at the question.

“Oh, yes, because I'm clearly such an escape artist who can clearly survive on my own in this fucked up place. Yeah, I'm totally planning my escape.” You draw your knees up and hug them with your face pressed against them, refusing to look at him. You can practically sense him bristling.

“Cheeky little whelp. I know about your connection with my dear brother, human. Why are you asking him so many questions?” Sans snarls. You hadn't realized they were siblings. Maybe that's why Papyrus seems to listen to Sans so much? Always following his orders and everything. 

“Because I'm going to die anyways, so why don't you just kill me already,” you fire back.

“Only the Queen is allowed to take your life, human. Be grateful, as it's likely the only reason you haven't been killed yet.”

“That's stupid.” Why are you even arguing this?

“Killing grants power and very few actions grant as much power as killing a human. That's why only the Queen’s hand may take your life,” he explains coldly. You merely scoff quietly in response, staring at a wall in defiance of him.

Silences seem to be very long for you lately. 

Sans begins to slowly pace the room in thought.

“Why don't you know anything about human weapons?” he finally asks. His tone of voice is much more inquisitive and curious than before, less aggressive.

“Because I never interact with them?”

“Don't you need to know how to utilize them to defend yourselves?” he asks exasperatedly, clearly frustrated with your answer.

“Uh, not usually, no. I grew up in a nice neighborhood, so it's not like I had to worry about it.” You take a glance at the skeleton, who seems absorbed in your comments as he paces.

“And how many humans are there on the surface?”

“Uhh.” Shit, you can never remember the number. You never particularly cared before. “Like, at least a couple billion I think? Maybe a couple trillion? It's a lot.”

Sans stops in place, eyes wide. Clearly the number shocks him. You surmise that the Underground is too small for such a huge population. Apparently monsters don't have any idea how the surface world operates differently at this point, if his reaction is anything to go by.

“Hmm.” The skeleton glances towards the stairs before looking you in the eye. “I will return to ask more questions. Out of deference to Papyrus, I won't force answers out of you so long as you cooperate. You will even be rewarded for good behavior. Understood?”

“... Okay.” It was a better deal than last time.

\----------

Papyrus brings down three thick blankets and a pillow with your meal this time, much to your appreciation.

“My brother said you were cooperative, so you get a nicer bed now. Rest assured, more rewards will come,” your Buddy comments with a wink. That earns a giggle from you.

This is still incredibly weird, but you've made a habit of trying to find any positive moments in life.

Your discussion is stilted initially, as neither of you seems very skilled at small talk. Eventually, you bite the bullet and ask the next difficult question.

“Papyrus… is there anything you can do? To keep me alive?”

The torn look on his face will probably haunt you for the rest of your short life.

“You don't know what you're asking, Buddy. The Queen… you don't defy the Queen,” is all he says on the matter before abruptly cutting the conversation short.

The next four meals are delivered by Sans.

You decide not to ask Papyrus to save you again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ugh this chapter fought me so much because I wanted to do like way more with it? But the pacing just didn't feel right when I changed it. Hopefully I can get what I wanted in the next chapter; we'll see.
> 
> Hilariously, my beta reader really liked this chapter and said it was my strongest but I actually felt like it was my weakest?
> 
> And now you all learn why the human hasn't been killed by Asgore or the rabbit monster or Sans or Papyrus! Actual plot based reasons yayyyy 
> 
> Fun fact: part of the reason Sans is going easier on the human is that Papyrus convinced him to, but also that your depressive state reminded him too much of Papyrus and it made him feel a little bad for you. He'd never admit it ofc but it's a small percentage of why he eases up.
> 
> Papyrus DOES smoke cigarettes, but can't always get access to them, so sometimes he plays with toothpicks.
> 
> Also, wow, Papyrus sure seems to be really understanding about how the human can't talk about certain things! How interesting!


End file.
